Did I mention?

Today is a good day. A good enough day to share some Monday musings, and at best... share them with YOU. Let's list 'em, shall we? Oh! And I might even share a few pictures that have nothing to do with these thoughts.

1. Brent got home at 6:15 p.m. tonight. I just about did 15 jumping jacks, and somersaults and back flips right then and there. This is A-MAZING.

2. Brookie and I have been under the weather the last few days. She cuddles when she is this way and so maybe I enoy her under-the-weather-ness... a little.

Brooke and her only (so far) girl cousin on the Guerisol side, Adria, taken in October

Did I mention how much Brookie loves ALL her cousins?

3. After Brent got home, and we celebrated and had dinner, Brent mentioned that we should have family home evening. Brooke immediately walked over to the side table and grabbed out of the stack of books, her picture Book of Mormon. We were STUNNED! What a smartie pants, and what a special reminder to us that she is learning from our teaching and reading, and to keep this up.

Us three at Pirate Island Pizza in St. George in October

Did I mention we went to Utah in October?

4. Brent found out today that he no longer has to work on Thanksgiving day. Yes. He was going to have to work on Thanksgiving day, and the day after, and the Saturday and Sunday after. I have been mentally preparing myself for this AND complaining to MANY family members and friends about this for months. So.... sorry ya'll. We're good now.

Amber (Sis in law), Vicki (mother in law), Muah, AnnElise (sis in law), Randi (sis in law) at 25 Main in St. George in between Saturday General Conference sessions

Did I mention how much I loved General Conference?

5. One other topic of concern I've had is Brooke's speech development. Well, I am happy to report that she is improving greatly. She is starting to say many three, four, and even five word sentences which is not where we were or even close to being three months ago. Let's hope this keeps up and she keeps progressing. On the other hand.....

Her love of people dressed in Minnie Mouse suits at Disneyland is, well... not so much of a love at all....

Minnie Mouse, Brookie, and me... Disneyland in October

Did I mention we went to Disneyland in October after being in Utah?

Me and Brooke on the teacups in Disneyland

Did I mention the teacups are my favorite ride ever in DL?

And this brings me to my last point:

6. We had the yummiest butternut squash recipe yesterday with Sunday dinner. We had it with grilled chicken marinated in a raspberry chipotle sauce, green salad, and parmesan garlic breadsticks. And it's a yummy, delectable, sweet fall recipe so I must share:

Roasted Butternut Squash and Apples

1 lb. butternut squash, cut and cubed

1 apple, cut and cubed

3 T. butter

3 T. honey

1/2 t. nutmeg and 1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 c. chopped pecans

2-3 tablespoons of brown sugar

Place squash and apples in an 8x8 pan. Pour two tablespoons of water over the squash and roast at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile mix rest of ingredients except for brown sugar. After squash and apples are tender, pour mixture over and sprinkle the brown sugar on top and return to oven to cook for 10 minutes. Please enjoy this.

Thanks for letting me mention my Monday musings!

Pumpkin Butter

Here is the recipe I used for our Pumpkin Butter. I found it online and while I will say it was delicious, it could use some tweaking. I kept adding a little more of everything other than the pumpkin for flavor. OH! And Pioneer woman just posted her recipe for pumpkin butter which looks so enticing and she made her own pumpkin puree. Happy Baking!

INGREDIENTS:
1 can (15 oz.) pure pumpkin
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

DIRECTIONS:
Combine pumpkin, sugar, honey, lemon juice, cinnamon and cloves in medium heavy-duty saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring frequently, for 20 to 25 minutes or until thickened. Serve with biscuits, breads and corn muffins. Store in airtight container in refrigerator for up to 2 months.Recipe makes 2 cups.

Speaking of "The Season"...

You know what fall means? Cool and crisp air, which translates to warm comfort food, full of savory spices and flavor!

Equation: September+October+November+December=best time to bake+more pounds to mid-section+January and 2009 comes=save the dieting and healthy eating for NEXT YEAR (my Mom would not be proud of this).

Do you agree? If no - well... how SAD for you! If so, check out some of these thing I sure hope to bake this fall. It's a sure bet you'll be salivating in the next 3...2...1...seconds.

Upside down apricot caramel crunch cake. Say that 5 times fast!

Pumpkin Charlotte. Not sure who "charlotte" is but this looks amazing.

Gingerbread tree cookies with glazed pears. I just love a pretty dessert.

Gingersnap pumpkin crumble parfaits - saved the best for last! I might have to have these this weekend.

For recipes and MORE fall desserts, see HERE.

Here's to 10 pounds more of me by January. Cheers!

My Favorite Summer Salad

As summer is coming to a close (so sad), I am feeling the need to make all of my favorite summer meals, desserts, salads, and take advantage of the freshness of the fruits and veggies in stores. We have had this salad once every couple of weeks and I never get sick of it. I'm sure you've been to California Pizza Kitchen, yes? This is basically their salad, but my sister, Krista, adapted her own while she was on her mission, in yes, Texas!

CPK BBQ Chicken Salad: Mission - Style

8 corn tortillas

oil for frying

1 head romaine lettuce

1 head iceburg lettuce

2 tomatoes, chopped

1/2 c. jicama

1/4 c. cilantro

1 avocado, chopped

1/4 c. sliced green onions

1/4 c. chopped red onions

1/2 c. chopped pepper (red, green, or yellow)

1/2 c. small cubed cheese of your choice

1 c. cooked corn, chilled

1 c. black beans

1 cooked rotisserie chicken or 2 cups grilled barbeque chicken

lime wedges

ranch dressing, barbeque sauce

***

Cut tortillas into 1/2 inch strips. Deep-fry strips until crispy. Drain on paper towel. Tear lettuce into salad pieces. Toss chopped tomatoes, jicama, cilantro, avocado, onions, pepper, and cheese into salad. Add beans and corn. Shred chicken and mix into salad. Sprinkle tortilla strips on top Serve with ranch, barbeque sauch and lime wedges. I usually pick up a rotisserie chicken at Costco and we always serve this with Marie Calendar's cornbread (best cornbread, ever). Oh, and you have a personal guarantee from me that if you make this, you will without a doubt - love it.

Dear Grandparents of Brooke,

(and anyone else that loves this little girl).. some pictures for you!

At the Nordstrom sale a few weeks ago. We put these on her and she kept them on for quite awhile. Oh.. so cool.

Eating ravioli. I put my hands on my cheeks and said, "Oh no, Brookie, you are a mess!" She totally mimicked me and Brent got a snapshot of it.

Her first pigtails! Yes, there really is hair in them. I think she looks so grown up here.

One of my favorite things about moving to Texas that has made the adjustment easier is our neighborhood pool. And every subdivision has one! We've been every Saturday since we moved. She loves it. I probably love it even more. And Brent needs the vitamin D after being indoors 40+ hours a week.

And lastly for today's update: my weekend obsession. I'll explain. Our ward has a food co-op. Here's how it works: if you want to participate drop $10 and a laundry basket off at the person who is in charge that time. They order big bulks of produce and divide it among everyone doing it. And the fun part is, you never know what you'll get! We got A TON of great stuff for only ten dollars, including lots of delicious, ripe mango. What better way to use it than in this recipe:

STICKY RICE WITH MANGO:

(Not my photo but a very pretty one, nonetheless.) Please make this. It is so easy and you're life will never be the same! Recipe is below.

1 c. uncooked soft Jasmine rice

1/2 tsp. salt

1 can coconut milk

2/3 c. sugar

1 mango

(only 5 ingredients!)

Cover rice with cold water and rinse. Repeat until water runs clear, about 3 times and drain. In a medium saucepan bring 1 3/4 cups of water to a boil. Add the rice and stir briefly. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cover. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until the water is absorbed. In a saucepan, combine coconut milk, sugar and salt. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Pour the boiled coconut milk into the cooked rice. Stir well. Cover top of rice directly with wax paper or aluminum foil. Let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Peel the mango and cut into slices or squares. Spoon the rice or scoop with an ice cream server onto a serving platter and decorate with mango slices.

Marvelous Muffins

-Marvelous Muffins-

1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour

3/4 c. rolled oats

1 t. baking soda

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

2 eggs (slightly beaten)

1/2 c. skim milk

3 T. olive oil

1/2 c. honey

1/2 naturally sweetened applesauce

1/2 pureed white beans (just do one can pureed with the liquid in the can. It should be like paper paste. This is a weird ingredient but you cannot taste them and they add lots of fiber)

Combine all dry ingredients. Then add wet ingredients. Bake @ 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Banana Variation: Reduce milk to 1/4 c. and add 3/4 c. of ripe mashed bananas. Add a little cinnamon.

Pumpkin Variation: 1/4 t. nutmeg, 1/5 t. cloves, 2 t. cinnamon, 1/2 c. canned pumpkin

Note: I usually triple this recipe, and it makes about 38 muffins. I freeze them in ziplocks and eat one (ok, maybe two) a day!